Botticelliwoman

Latest posts by Botticelliwoman

Emma is right, annual bedding will give you great colour and sowing seeds is the cheapest option by far. Otherwise, have a look at the neighbours gardens for the kinds of things that are thriving. Lavender is a good goer if you have gritty well-drained soil , it doesn't take a deal of looking after and smells great; rosemary likewise. I tried one of those cheap 'bee and butterfly' seed mixes a couple of years ago and it did really well - just scatter on and rake in or you could go for the posher modern meadow mixes. Yank it all out at the end of the season, couldn't be easier! If your parents live in a place that has quite mild winters you could try hebe's which you can usually buy in packs of 6 from the garden centre, if they're happy, they'll eventually fill out nicely and you can still plant round with annual bedding and a few bulbs until they get big enough.Good luck, whatever you decide

What kind of soil do you have there? Is it exposed or quite sheltered? How much sun/shade? Are you selling/renting the house and need a quick fix, or planning for the long-term. Are the residents gardeners or need something very low-maintenance? How much can you or do you want to spend? From how you phrased your question, it doesn't sound like it's your patch of soil so it really depends on who it's for

Hi Debs,Polystyrene and cardboard cups (the kind you sometimes buy take-away coffee and tea in) make great little plant pots when washed and a hole punched in the bottom with a pencil. The plastic trays that supermarkets sell some of their veg in make good seed trays, again with holes punched in the bottom. Plastic pop bottles can be used as mini cloches, watering devices and lacewing hotels (check online for ideas). You could sign yourself up to your local freecycle as there's generally lots of garden-related give-aways such as pots, plants, sheds etc. The woodland trust is offering a free native hedgerow collection to schools this year if you have the space. You could also google The Big Wildlife Garden for ideas and try getting in touch with the education officer at your local Wildlife Trust and look at the RHS website as this year there are lots of events taking place during Gardening Week.Hope this helps